44 MEMOIR OF GESNER. 



little sound natural history remains. As a good 

 specimen of his manner, we may refer to the ac- 

 count of the eagle, which extends to nearly thirty 

 closely printed folio pages. Much curious informa- 

 tion might be extracted from his volumes regarding 

 many species of almost every order, as, for example, 

 the account of the speaking nightingales ; but space 

 cannot be afforded in this place for such a selection. 

 We may translate, however, his short account of 

 the white ox of Scotland (what is now usually 

 called the Hamilton breed of cattle), which is curi- 

 ous in several respects. He names it the Bison 

 allus Scoticus, and gives a figure of the animal, 

 which, however, is not so well executed as many 

 of the others. " The Caledonian forest of Scot- 

 land produces very white oxen, having a mane 

 like that of a lion, but in other respects very similar 

 to the domesticated kinds. They are so fierce, un- 

 tameable, and eager to avoid human society, that 

 when they feel that any plant, tree, or shrub has been 

 touched by the hands of man, they continue to flee 

 from it for many days. When taken by any stra- 

 tagem (which is very difficult ), they die soon after 

 for grief. But when they are aware that they are 

 pursued by any one, they rush upon him with great 

 fury and drive him to the earth. They fear neither 

 dogs, hunting -spears, nor any kind of weapon. 

 Their flesh is very agreeable to the taste, and parti- 

 cularly in request by the nobility, although it is 

 cartilaginous. Although they were wont to occur 

 throughout all the forest, they are now found in 



